Thiago Motta

Thiago Motta (born 28 August 1982) is a Brazilian-Italian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of club Juventus.

A defensive midfielder, Motta spent his early career at Barcelona, where he was injury-prone. He played two and a half seasons with Inter Milan before joining Paris Saint-Germain in January 2012, winning 27 major titles with all clubs combined. Motta also had brief spells with Atlético Madrid in Spain, and Genoa in Italy.

Born and raised in Brazil and of Italian descent, Motta also holds Italian citizenship. After making one appearance for his country of birth in 2003, he represented the latter national team a total of 30 times since making his debut in 2011, scoring once. He appeared at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and two European Championships with Italy, finishing second at Euro 2012.

Following his retirement in 2018, he coached the under-19 side of Paris Saint-Germain. In October 2019, he was appointed as Genoa's new manager, being fired in December following a poor run of results. In July 2021, Motta was appointed manager of Spezia, where he remained for one season, before taking over as manager of Bologna in September 2022, leading them to qualify for the Champions League in his second season. In June 2024, Motta was appointed head coach of Juventus.

Early life
Motta was born in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, and is of Italian descent.

Barcelona
Motta signed with Barcelona in 1999 at age 17 from São Paulo side Clube Atlético Juventus, initially being assigned to the club's B-side. He eventually graduated to the first team in 2001, making his official debut on 3 October against Mallorca in a 3–0 home win.

In the 2001–02 edition of the UEFA Champions League, Motta made seven appearances and helped his team to the semi-finals. In 2002–03's La Liga he appeared in a career-best 21 games (with three goals) as Barça could only finish in sixth position, and also played an important part in the following season's long UEFA Cup run, which was eventually ended by Celtic; in the first leg, a 0–1 loss in Glasgow (0–1 on aggregate), he was sent off during half-time after hitting out at opposing goalkeeper Robert Douglas who was also shown the red card, in an incident that happened in the tunnel.

Motta was also dogged by several injuries, particularly one suffered on 11 September 2004 against Sevilla, which sidelined him for seven months, during his time at Barcelona. He would eventually need surgery to rebuild the anterior cruciate and lateral ligaments in his left knee, but was able to make a swift recovery and made an emotional comeback, taking to the field to rapturous applause as eventual league champions defeated Getafe 2–0 on 17 April.

Atlético Madrid
In late August 2007, Motta signed a one-year contract with Atlético Madrid for an undisclosed fee. Once again he began the season on the sidelines, injured; in the Copa del Rey quarter-final match against Valencia he was ejected after only 25 minutes, and the Colchoneros lost the away fixture 0–1 and subsequently the tie.

Due to injury to regular starter Raúl García and the departure of Maniche in January 2008, Motta's opportunities increased. In March, however, the recurrent knee problems reappeared and his season was over, followed by a successful surgery and rehabilitation in the United States; he trialled with Premier League side Portsmouth after his release, but did not sign for them.

Genoa
In September 2008, Motta joined Genoa on a free transfer, after passing a medical. During his debut campaign he performed consistently well and was a regular in the starting eleven, under coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

On 11 April 2009, Motta scored two goals (one of them in the first half's injury time) in a final 3–2 home victory over Juventus. He finished the year with a career-best six goals, and his team qualified for the Europa League.

Inter Milan
On 20 May 2009, La Gazzetta dello Sport confirmed that Motta, alongside teammate Diego Milito, transferred to Inter Milan, who paid €28 million for the latter and €10.2 million for the former   while as part of the deal, Genoa received five Inter players: Robert Acquafresca, Francesco Bolzoni, Leonardo Bonucci, Ivan Fatić and Riccardo Meggiorini. Motta's agent, Dario Canovi, later revealed that his Genoa contract with the club included a buy-out fee of €10 million.

Motta's debut came in 2009–10's opener, a 1–1 home draw against Bari, and his first goal came the next round as he opened the score in the Derby della Madonnina after an assist by Milito, in the 4–0 defeat of A.C. Milan. Having been in and out of the team for the duration of the season, he netted his first brace for them in a 3–0 win over Bologna on 3 April 2010.

Motta also appeared in eight games during the club's victorious Champions League campaign, including the 0–1 loss at former side Barcelona in the semi-finals (3–2 aggregate win). During that match, he was sent off after apparently striking Sergio Busquets in the face with his hand; the incident gathered attention due to Busquets' apparent feigning of injury.

On 23 October 2011, from a corner taken by Wesley Sneijder, Motta scored through a header in a 1–0 victory against Chievo, which was Inter's first at home in 2011–12.

Paris Saint-Germain
On 31 January 2012, in spite of Inter manager Claudio Ranieri indicating shortly before he was confident the player would remain with the club until the end of the season, having called him to the upcoming league match against Palermo, Motta signed with Paris Saint-Germain in France, for a fee believed to be around €10 million. Following his move, he revealed that he dreamt of playing for the club ever since fellow Brazilians such as Raí, Leonardo and Ronaldinho shone in the French capital; he also revealed that he was not happy at Inter, refusing to further elaborate on his reasons to leave.

Four days after signing for the club, Motta made his debut for PSG, against Evian in a 3–1 home win, being booked in the process. On 22 April 2012, in another home fixture, he scored his first goal in Ligue 1, contributing to a 6–1 rout of Sochaux.

On 21 February 2014, aged 31, Motta extended his contract until June 2016. In August, he was left with a broken nose after being headbutted by Bastia's Brandão in the tunnel, as his opponent went on to be suspended for six months.

Motta announced his retirement for the end of the season on 8 May 2018, while also being appointed as the new coach of PSG's under-19 side. During his six-and-a-half-year stint at the Parc des Princes he played 232 competitives matches and won 19 trophies, making his final appearance on 19 May against Caen.

Brazil
Motta made his debut for Brazil in the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Motta missed the 2004 CONMEBOL Men Pre-Olympic Tournament due to injuries, but appeared for the under-23 team in November 2003 against Santos FC. Subsequently, there were claims that he wanted to be called up for Italy and possibly to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as he possessed dual nationality – his paternal grandfather being Italian. His great-grandfather, Fortunato Fogagnolo, left for South America from Polesella in the early 1900s. FIFA granted players to have one chance to change their representing nation if they had dual nationality, but not for players who have already played in a competitive "A" match (non-friendly).

Italy
On 6 February 2011, Motta received his first call-up from Italy, for a friendly against Germany, but an official statement from the Italian Football Federation declared it subject to FIFA clearance, which was granted two days later. He made his debut in that match on 9 February, being replaced in the 63rd minute of the 1–1 draw by Alberto Aquilani.

On 25 March 2011, in only his second international, a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier in Slovenia, Motta scored the game's only goal following a 73rd-minute combination with Federico Balzaretti. He was selected to the finals in Poland and Ukraine, starting in three group stage matches for the Azzurri and adding two substitute appearances, against Germany in the semi-finals (2–1 win) and Spain in the final; in the decisive match, after having again replaced Riccardo Montolivo, in the 55th minute, he suffered a hamstring injury after only five minutes and had to be carried off, leaving his team with ten players as he was the third and last allowable player brought in by manager Cesare Prandelli – in an eventual 0–4 loss.

Motta was named in a 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on 13 May, and also made the final list. He played his first-ever game in the tournament at the age of nearly 32, coming on in the 57th minute of the 2–1 opening group stage victory over England on 14 June.

On 31 May 2016, Motta was named to Antonio Conte's 23-man Italy squad for Euro 2016, and was handed the number 10 shirt. The decision to assign him that number sparked controversy, although international teammate Daniele De Rossi later defended the manager's decision stating: "Those who have joked about it just don't know much about football. Just play the ball around a bit with Thiago Motta and then you will rinse your mouth out. He might not be a No. 10 like Baggio or Totti, but technically he's a master." He made four appearances throughout the tournament, but was suspended for the quarter-final match against Germany, after being booked for the second time in the competition in the previous round against Spain; his substitute appearance in the 2–0 round of 16 victory on 27 June was his 30th and final cap for Italy, as his team were eliminated on penalties in the next round following a 1–1 draw.

Style of play
A combative player, Motta was usually deployed as either a defensive or central midfielder, but he was capable of playing in various other midfield positions due to his tactical intelligence and versatility. In the Italy national team, under Prandelli, he was on occasion deployed as a deep-lying playmaker or an attacking midfielder, due to his ability to set the tempo of his team's play in midfield with his passing. At Euro 2012, he played in a new role of false attacking midfielder in Prandelli's 4–3–1–2 formation. His role has also been likened to that of a metodista ("centre-half," in Italian football jargon), due to his ability to dictate play in midfield as well as assist his team defensively.

Motta's most prominent traits were his ball control, technique, vision and passing range, although he was also praised for his tackling, ability to read the game and consistent defensive attributes as a ball winner. Due to his physical strength, heading accuracy and ability to make late attacking runs from behind into the penalty area, he excelled in the air,  and also possessed a powerful long-range shot; despite his skills, he was also criticised for his aggression on the pitch and his lack of pace. Moreover, he was known to be injury-prone.

Managerial career
In August 2019, following his spell coach of Paris Saint-Germain's under-19 side, Motta enrolled in the UEFA Pro Licence courses at the Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano; he successfully obtained the license on 16 September 2020.

Genoa
On 21 October, his former club Genoa, at the time occupying the second-to-last position in the Italian top tier, announced his appointment as the new manager, replacing the recently dismissed Aurelio Andreazzoli. In his first official match in charge, five days later, he led the team to come from behind and achieve a 3–1 home win over Brescia. With the side in last place, however, he was fired on 28 December.

Spezia
On 5 July 2021, Motta was appointed head coach of Serie A club Spezia, replacing departing manager Vincenzo Italiano following the latter's departure to Fiorentina. With a team widely touted for relegation also due to an impending transfer market ban, and despite a difficult start of season which almost led the club to dismiss him by December, Motta turned Spezia's fortunes by January, and was also awarded the Serie A Coach of the Month award after achieving three consecutive wins.

On 15 May 2022, following a win at Udinese, Motta successfully guided Spezia to escape relegation for the second season in a row with still a game to go. Motta left Spezia by mutual agreement on 28 June 2022.

Bologna
On 12 September 2022, Motta was named new head coach of Serie A club Bologna, replacing Siniša Mihajlović. He was named Coach of the Month in February 2023, having achieved three victories in four matches during that month. He eventually led Bologna to a 9th-place finish with 54 points in 2022–23, setting a new record for the team.

In his full season in charge in 2023–24, he was awarded Coach of the Month in both February and March. Subsequently, he managed to guide the club to clinch a UEFA Champions League berth for the first time since 1964–65, ensuring a top-five finish in Serie A.

On 23 May 2024, the club announced that Motta had declined to extend his contract, signaling his imminent departure. However, he eventually managed to achieve a new record at the club with 68 points.

Juventus
On 12 June 2024, Motta was appointed as head coach of Serie A club Juventus, signing a three-year contract.

Tactics
Following his retirement from professional football in May 2018, Motta became the new coach of Paris Saint-Germain's under-19 side. In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in November of that year, he stated that he wanted to revolutionise football with a 4–3–3 formation that could be interpreted as a 2–7–2, commenting:

"'My idea is to play offensively. A short team that controls the game, high pressure and a lot of movement with and without the ball. I want the player that has the ball to always have three or four solutions and two teammates close by to help. The difficulty in football is, often to do things simply but to control the base, pass and get free. I don't like the numbers of the field because they trick you. You can be super offensive with a 5–3–2 and defensive in a 4–3–3. Depending on the quality of the guys. I had a game a while ago where the two full-backs ended up playing as the 9 and 10. But that doesn't mean I don't like people like Samuel and Chiellini, born defenders. Could it be a 2–7–2? No, the goalkeeper counts as one of the midfield seven. For me, the attacker is the first defender and the goalkeeper is the first attacker. The goalkeeper starts the play, with his feet and the attackers are the first to put pressure to recover the ball.'"

He has also been known to use an attacking 4–2–3–1 formation.

International

 * Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Motta goal.

Player
Barcelona
 * La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06
 * Supercopa de España: 2006
 * UEFA Champions League: 2005–06

Inter Milan
 * Serie A: 2009–10
 * Coppa Italia: 2009–10, 2010–11
 * Supercoppa Italiana: 2010
 * UEFA Champions League: 2009–10
 * FIFA Club World Cup: 2010

Paris Saint-Germain Brazil
 * Ligue 1: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18
 * Coupe de France: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
 * Coupe de la Ligue: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17
 * Trophée des Champions: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
 * South American Under-17 Football Championship: 1999

Italy Individual
 * UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2012
 * Don Balón Award – Breakthrough player in La Liga: 2002–03
 * Serie A Team of the Year: 2010–11
 * Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2013–14

Manager
Individual
 * Serie A Coach of the Month: January 2022, February 2023, February 2024, March 2024